Cylinder and dial circular knitting machine with cam-actuated stitch helpers

ABSTRACT

Stitch helpers mounted in the dial of a cylinder and dial circular knitting machine are moved without the aid of springs or pivoted connections into and out of positions of engagement with the fabric produced on the machine, movement of the stitch helpers being so guided that they are disposed to move the fabric downwardly into positions against the edge of the dial and to hold the fabric in such positions while dial needles are pushed to latch clear positions, the stitch helpers being caused to release the fabric and assume retracted positions before the needles cast off.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Donald W. Reagan Hialeah; Lester Mishcon, Miami-Beach, both of, lFla.

[21] Appl. No. 25,705

[22] Filed Apr. 6, 1970 [45] Patented July 27, 1971 [73] Assignee The Singer Company New York, N.Y.

[54] CYLINDER AND DIAL CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE WITH CAM-ACTUATED STITCH HELPERS 9 Claims, 12 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 66/20,

[51] Int. Cl D04b 9/06 [50] Field ofSearch 66/19,90,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,070,191 8/1913 Scott 66/90 2.463.258 3/1949 Fuller... ,1 66/107 FOREIGN PATENTS 823,500 11/1959 Great Britain 66/31 504.193 12/1954 ltaly 66/107 Primary E.raminer-Wm. Carter Reynolds Auorneys-Marshall J. Breen, Chester A. Williams, Jr. and

William V. Ebs

ABSTRACT: Stitch helpers mounted in the dial of a cylinder and dial circular knitting machine are moved without the aid of springs or pivoted connections into and out of positions of engagement with the fabric produced on the machine, movement of the stitch helpers being so guided that they are disposed to move the fabric downwardly into positions against the edge of the dial and to hold the fabric in such positions while dial needles are pushed to latch clear positions, the stitch helpers being caused to release the fabric and assume retracted positions before the needles cast off.

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WITNESS.-

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INVENTORS Donald W Reagan and By Lester Mishcon wmvsss: 7/

2 222 aw" W ATTORNEY CYLINDER AND DIAL CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE WITH CAM-ACTUATED STITCH HELPERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to knitting machines and more particularly to cylinderand dial-type knitting machines in which stitch helpers assist in the formation of stitches by the dial needles.

2. Description of the Prior Art When striped cloth is produced on a cylinderand dial-type circular knitting machine a great deal of difficulty is encountered in areas of the fabric where yarn changes are made. Bulkiness results due to the presence of both the severed ends of old yarns and the beginning ends of new yarns. The fabric in the areas of bulkiness may move with the dial needles as they are moved outwardly in the dial preventing the dial needles from latching clear of their loops and casting off their stitches. Also such fabric may be raised relative to the edge of the dial by cylinder needles preventing the proper formation of stitches by dial needles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the invention difficulty in the said areas is eliminated with the aid of stitch helpers mounted in radial dial slots for cooperation with dial needles. The stitch helpers are cammed radially, outwardly and inwardly by means ofdial cams and are moved upwardly and downwardly during their radial movements by the engagement of projections on the stitch helpers with the walls of an annular dial slot. Movements of the stitch helpers are so controlled that they move a fabric downwardly into positions against the edge of the dial and hold the fabric in such positions while dial needles are pushed through loops to latch clear positions, but release the fabric and assume retracted positions before the needles cast off.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved stitchhelping means for a cylinder and dial circular knitting machine.

It is another object of the invention to provide a cylinder and dial circular knitting machine with stitch helpers which can be disposed to position and hold a fabric without the aid of pivoted connections or springs.

It is still another object of the invention to provide improved camming means on a cylinder and dial circular knitting machine for controlling the movements of stitch helpers slidably mounted in the dial.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during a reading of the specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a fragmentary plan view of a dial member for receiving stitch helpers and needles according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary radially extending vertical section taken through said dial member on the plane of the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and'showing a stitch helper and cooperating cams ofa dial cam section.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary bottom view showing the cams of said dial cam section and certain of the needles and stitch helpers therein all according to the invention.

FIGS. 4 through are fragmentary radially extending vertical sections taken through the dial cam section of FIG. 3 and cooperating dial member on the planes of the lines 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, 7-7, 8-8, 9-9and 10-10 respectively of FIG. 3.

FIG. I] is a fragmentary perspective view of said dial member.

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary perspectiveedge view of the said dial member showing a stitch helper in a fabric-holding position. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, reference character 10 designates the dial member of a cylinder and dial circular knitting machine. The dial member which is conventional in construction includes radially extending ribs 11, radially extending ribs I2 offset from the ribs I], and an annular slot 14. Wall members 16 fitted between the ribs 11 and in alignment with the ribs 12 are anchored against radial movement by wall member tongues 18 which engage the walls of slot I4, and form dial needle slots 20 in the dial member 10 for needles 22.

Uniquely constructed stitch helpers 24 are mounted in selected dial slots 20 for positioning and holding the fabric in predetermined regions of the fabric to be knitted. Each stitch helper 24 includes a projection 26 engageable with sloping walls of the slot 14, and when the stitch helpers are moved radially, outwardly and inwardly the projections 26 move into and out of slot M causing the stitch helpers to move downwardly and upwardly respectively.

Cams are provided for actuating the needles 22 and stitch helpers 24. Shown by way of example in FIG. 3 is a dial cam section 28 for actuating needles 22 having a cam-engaging first butt 22A and a cam-engaging second butt 22B or 22C, and for causing the stitch helpers 24 having cam-engaging butts 24A to be moved into and out of fabric-holding positions, only some of the needles and stitch helpers within the cam section 28 at any particular time being shown. The cam section 28 includes a fixed raise cam 30, adjustable raise cams 32 and 34, auxiliary cam 36, stitch cam 37, and a wing cam 38. Reference characters 30 and 37' designate raise and stitch cams respectively of adjacent cam sections.

Needles with butts 22A and 22B are moved to a welt position by cam 30 acting on butts 22A,, and then to a knit position by cam surfaces 39 and 41 of cam 32 acting on the butts 22B (assuming the cam 32 to be in its most outward position as shown), and finally such needles are moved to a castoff position by auxiliary cam 36 and stitch cam 37 acting on the butts 22A. Needles having butts 22A and 22C are moved from a castoff position to a welt position by raise cam 30 acting on the butts 22A and thereafter by wing cam 38 and stitch cam 37 also acting on the butts 22A, to a. castotf position. The needles are not influenced by cam 34 in its most inward position wherein it is shown in FIG. 3. It will be understood however that a plurality of dial cam sections; like the dial cam section 28 may be provided around the machine and that the cams 32 and 34 of such sections may be variously positioned as required to knit a particular fabric, such cams being disposable in positions to raise needles to a knit or tuck position or to miss needle butts entirely.

All of the stitch helpers 24 follow the same path through cam section 28. They are moved outwardly from a retracted position in which they are above the yarn of a fabric being knitted (FIG. 4) by raise cam 30 acting on the stitch helper butts 24A, and in the process the stitch helpers are cammed downwardly by engagement of the stitch helper projection 26 with wall 40 of slot 14 causing the fabric to be positioned against the edge ofthe dial (see FIGS 5 and 6). The stitch helpers maintain such position while adjacent needles are in the welt position to which they have been raised by cam 30(FIG. 6) and maintain such position while adjacent needles are moved to a knit position (see FIG. 7). Stitch helpers would also be maintained in such a position while needles are moved to a tuck position rather than a knit position by a suitably adjusted raise cam corresponding to cam 32 or 34 in another cam section like the cam section 28. The stitch helpers 24 are moved inwardly by wing cam 38 of cam section 28 acting on butts 241A, and cammed upwardly from the fabric-holding position by engagement of the projection 26 thereon with wall 42 of slot 14 into retracted positions (FIGS. 8 and 9) prior to adjacent needles 22 attaining their cazstoff positions. The needles may therefore move from a knit, tuck, or welt position into the castoff position with the fabric free from any interference by the stitch helpers.

Although the stitch helpers and needles are moved inwardly by the wing cam 38 it should be noted that the trailing portion ofthe wing cam includes a lower cam surface 44 and an upper cam surface 46. The butts 22A of needles not raised beyond their welt position are engaged by the lower cam surface 44, and the stitch helper butts 24A which are longer than the nee dle butts are engaged by the upper cam surface 46 to move the stitch helpers inwardly with respect to such needles (see FIGS. and 11).

While the invention has been described in its preferred form, it is to be understood that the words which have been used are words of description rather than of limitation, and that changes within the purview of the appended claims may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention.

Having thus set forth the nature of this invention. what we claim herein is:

1. In a cylinder and dial circular knitting machine having a plurality of radially extending dial slots and a circular slot with slanting walls in the dial, needles in certain of the radial dial slots, stitch helpers in other of the radial dial slots, and actuating means for moving the stitch helpers and needles radially, said stitch helpers having projections thereon to engage the walls of said circular slot and cause the stitch helpers to be raised from and lowered into fabric-locating and fabric-holding positions as they are moved radially by the actuating means.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said needles and stitch helpers are in adjacent radial dial slots.

3. The combination of claim 1 including wall members anchored against radial movement in said circular slot, the wall members forming said radially extending dial slots.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the actuating means are cams.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein the needles and stitch helpers have butts thereon and earns of the actuating means engage the butts to move the needles and stitch helpers radially.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein the needles and stitch helpers are moved radially inwardly and outwardly by cams of said actuating means and the actuating means include cams each of which has a portion engageable only with the butts of the stitch helpers for moving the stitch helpers inwardly with respect to the needles.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein each cam having a portion engageable only with the butts of stitch helpers is a two-level wing cam, the said portion is at one level and a second portion engageable only with needle butts is at the other level.

8. The combination of claim 5 wherein the needles and stitch helpers are moved radially inwardly and outwardly by cams of said actuating means and the actuating means include raise cams for moving the needles outwardly relative to the stitch helpers.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein said raise cams are adjustable. 

1. In a cylinder and dial circular knitting machine having a plurality of radially extending dial slots and a circular slot with slanting walls in the dial, needles in certain of the radial dial slots, stitch helpers in other of the radial dial slots, and actuating means for moving the stitch helpers and needles radially, said stitch helpers having projections thereon to engage the walls of said circular slot and cause the stitch helpers to be raised from and lowered into fabric-locating and fabric-holding positions as they are moved radially by the actuating means.
 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said needles and stitch helpers are in adjacent radial dial slots.
 3. The combination of claim 1 including wall members anchored against radial movement in said circular slot, the wall members forming said radially extending dial slots.
 4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the actuating means are cams.
 5. The combination of claim 4 wherein the needles and stitch helpers have butts thereon and cams of the actuating means engage the butts to move the needles and stitch helpers radially.
 6. The combination of claim 5 wherein the needles and stitch helpers are moved radially inwardly and outwardly by cams of said actuating means and the actuating means include cams each of which has a portion engageable only with the butts of the stitch helpers for moving the stitch helpers inwardly with respect to the needles.
 7. The combination of claim 6 wherein each cam having a portion engageable only with the butts of stitch helpers is a two-level wing cam, the said portion is at one level and a second portion engageable only with needle butts is at the other level.
 8. The combination of claim 5 wherein the needles and stitch helpers are moved radially inwardly and outwardly by cams of said actuating means and the actuating means include raise cams for moving the needles outwardly relative to the stitch helpers.
 9. The combination of claim 8 wherein said raise cams are adjustable. 